Cano to undergo surgery after season to repair sports hernia

SEATTLE — That strained abdominal muscle that slowed Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano for the the last two months? It turns out it’s a little more severe than previously believed.

Cano will undergo surgery Oct. 13 in Philadelphia to repair a sports hernia. The typical recovery period is six weeks, which means Cano should have few if any restrictions in his usual off-season training regimen.

"I always take four-to-six weeks where I don’t do anything," he said prior to Friday’s game against Oakland at Safeco Field. "Just go on vacation, have fun and forget everything about baseball. Just refresh my mind.

"Everything is going to be normal. I’m going to start at the same time. I’ve just got to be careful after the surgery. I’m not supposed to lift anything heavy. Just be careful."

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Cano suffered the injury July 28 and missed three games before returning to the lineup. Prior to Friday, he batted .329 in 55 games since the injury with nine homers and 34 RBIs.

Playing through the injury did not make it worse, according to Dr. Edward Khalfayan, the club’s medical director. Tellingly, Cano was in the lineup Friday against the A’s and expects to play through the season-ending series.

"It’s one of those conditions," Khalfayan said, "that athletes can continue to play with for some time if they’re comfortable enough. At some point, we usually perform surgery to repair it."

Dr. William C. Meyers, a specialist in core muscle injuries, will perform the surgery. He is based at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia.

Cano saw no reason to skip the season’s final three games.

"I’ve been playing like this for the last two months," he said. "Why sit down for the next few days and just watch? I’ve still got to show up here and be here. I love the game so much, and I love to be out there.

Cano said pain surfaces "when I try to run fast or move quick." He said it typically lasts for a moment or two before subsiding.

"I was hoping not to (have) surgery," he said, "but they did the tests two days ago, and it shows that I need to get surgery. But it’s good that we found out what it is.

"That’s better than just going home and wondering whether it was going to get heal 100 percent. But now, I’m going to have surgery, and when I come to spring training, I won’t have to worry about anything."